Mail-sack catching and delivering mechanism.



Patented Sept. 4, I900.

M. D. CUMMINGSQ MAIL SACK CATCHING AND DELIVERING MECHANISM.

(Application filed Aug. 23, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

. AWL/k 33n fig, affozwzl (BMW No. 657,234. Patented Sept. 4. I900.

M. 0. cummmes.

MAIL SACK CATCHING AND DELIVERING MECHANISM.

(Application filed Aug 23, 189941 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

INVENTOR 7 W'M J ,2 gm

WITNESSES: L

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m STATES PATENT OFFICE.

lvlAlL -SACK CATCHING AND DELIVERING MECHANLSM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,234, dated september 4, 1900. Application filed August 23,1899. Serial No. 728,209. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MONTROVILL D. CUM- MINGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Mail-Sack Catching and Delivering Mechanisimof which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the improvement of mail-sack catching and delivering mechanism; and the objects of my invention are to provide a simple, reliable, and effective mechanism of this class of superior construction and arrangement of parts, whereby the delivery of mail from and to a moving car will be greatly facilitated. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a mailsack-catching frame, showing a sack in position for delivery on the receiving-arm of the car. Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of said sack-receiving crane, taken at right angles with that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of a portion of a car, showing the mail supporting and receiving arms in position for delivering and receiving a mailsack. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 00 0c of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a swivel-arm which I employ in the manner hereinafter described; and Fig. 6 is a detail view in perspective of the outer portion of the car rod which is adapted, in the manner hereinafter described, to support and receive a mail-sack.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In carrying out my invention I provide at the side of a railway-track a metal crane, which is indicated at 1. In constructing this crane I provide arigid base 2 of suitable form, from which rises a rigid tubing or socket-section 3, the latter being adapted to receive the upwardly-extendin g main crane-arm 4, which has its vupper portion bent outward at an angle with its vertical portion.

5 represents friction-blocks which embrace opposite sides of the upper end portion of the socket-section 3, these friction-blocks being embraced by the oppositely-located down turned clamping portions 6 of a collar 6, which surrounds the crane-arm 4-. 7 represents set-screws which work through threaded openings in said collar and are adapted to engage the periphery of said crane-arm. 8 represents similar set screws which pass through the down wardly-extending clamping portions 6 and are adapted to engage the outer surfaces of the friction-blocks 5. The upper and outturned end portion of the crane-arm iis provided with laterally-projecting spring-catch fingers 9 and 10, the upper finger being bent downward and having a normal spring contact with said finger 10. Surrounding the vertical portion of the arm 4, at a point in the upper portion thereof, is a sleeve or collar 11, which is retained in desirable frictional contact with said crane-arm through the medium of set-screws 12. Leading outward from a sleeve or collar 11, at right angles therewith, is a horizontal frame-rod 13, the latter having united therewith, through the medium of frictional clips 14, the parallel arms of a U- shaped frame 15, said frame being preferably inclined from a vertical position, as indicated more clearly in Fig. 2. The frame 15 is designed to support a sack-catching receptacle or pocket which is preferably formed of sections of chain 16, the upper ends of the main chain-sections being connected at desirable intervals with the under side of the arm 13, from which they depend, to points below the frame 15 and are then looped up into connection with the lower arm of said frame. These depending chains 16 are preferably connected at intervals by cross-chains 16 17 represents a portion of a mail-car, and 18 the doorway thereof.

In equipping the car for use in conjunction with the crane and sack receptacle hereinbefore described I provide in the doorway of said car at a suitable height from the floor a fixed transverse bar 19, on which is fulcrumed a horizontal lever 20, the inner end of the latter having a suitable handle portion 21 and the outer end thereof preferably being bifurcated, as indicated at 22.

23 represents an extension-arm which is preferably of the tubular form shown and which has each of its ends provided with an eyebolt extension, the latter being indicated, respectively, at 24 and 25 and their stem portions having a threaded engagement with the ends of said arm 23. The outer ehd of the ably journaled in either one of two brackets 29 and 30, which are secured to the outer side of the car on opposite sides of the doorway. This journaled or jointed connection of the rod 27 and brackets 29 is effected by the employment of a vertical journal-pin 31, which is adapted to pass downward through out ward projections of the brackets and through said head 28. The outer portion of the rod 27 terminates in an angular bend, as indicated at 32, said bent portion having pivoted to one of its faces a projecting block 33, said block being provided with a central longitudinal recess or slotted opening 34.

35 represents a catch and trigger-arm, the upper portion of which is bifurcated to form hook-fingers 36. The fingers 36, as indicated more clearly in Fig. 6 of the drawings, embrace opposite sides of the block 33, to which said arms are pivoted and from which the trigger 35 depends. It will be observed that said trigger is so pivoted to the block 33 asto result in the hook ends of the fingers 36 normally dropping down over the lateral months or sides of the recess 34.

The outer portion of the rod or arm 27 is employed for both the purposes of supporting a mail-sack from a car in position for delivery into the receptacle 16 at the side of the track and to receive a mail-sack which is suspended from the upper end portion of the frame 1. As shown more clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings, a mail-sack 37, which is to be delivered from the car, is doubled and sup ported centrally from a ring which is indicated at 38, the upper side or portion of the ring being engaged within the recess 34 of the block 33, said ring being temporarily held in place within said recess by the engagement of the downturned hook ends of the triggerfingers 36. During the process of attaching the ring to the block in the above-described manner the lever 20 is so turned as to bring the arms 23 and 27 approximately parallel with said lever and in position for convenient manipulation from the car. This having been accomplished the parts are swung outward to the position indicated in Fig. 3, in which the rod 27 projects, as shown, at an angle from the car or bracket which supports it. In this manner the lower end portion of the trigger is so supported as to contact through the movement of the train with the frame-arm 13 of the crane. As shown more clearly in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the sack 30, which is to be delivered onto the arm 27, is suspended by its ring from the supporting-finger 10 in such position that the movement and position of the train must result in the, sliding of the ring 40 onto the arm or rod 27 of the car apparatus. At approximately the same time the depending portion of the trigger 35 comes into contact with the upper frame-arm 13 of the receptacle 16, resulting in the sack-supporting ring 36 being disengaged from the hook ends of the trigger 35 'and in said sack and ring being propelled into the chain-receptacle 16. In connecting the clamp ends 14 of the frame 15 with the arm 13 the bolts which unite said clamp ends are not drawn suificiently tight to prevent such desirable swinging movement of the frame 15 as will aid in relieving said receptacle ot the force of the blow of the sack.' The" pressure of the ends of the setscrews 8 against the brake-blocks 5 is also such as to permit the frame-arm lto swing outward through theforce of the blow of the sack until the receptacle stands away from the trackway, in which position the sack may be readily removed from said receptacle. It will thus be seen that means are not only provided for taking up or compensating for the shock occasioned by the discharge of the sack into the receptacle, but that the crane will be swung out of an operative position. It is obvious that the degreeof swinging action thus attained may be regulated by tightening or loosening the set-screws S or clamp-bolts 14.

In order to reverse the car apparatus for use on trains moving inthe opposite direction from that heretofore described, the pin 31 and rod-head 28 may be removed from the bracket 29, the rod 27 turned in the opposite direction, and its head 28 secured in the bracket 30 on the opposite side of the doorway. This reversal of the position of the rod 27 is permitted through the fact that the arm 23 rotates on the stems of the eyebolts 24 and 25.

When the car apparatus is not set for catehing or delivering mail-sacks, it is obvious that the lever 20 may be so manipulated as to bring the rod 27 in against and in a parallel position with the car-body.

From the construction shown and described it will be seen that simple and positive means are provided for delivering and catching a sack from a car and for receiving a sack into the car, which is suspended at the side of a railway.

Having now fully described my invention what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a mail-sack catching and delivering mechanism,the combination with a car,brackets on opposite sides of the car-doorway, a lever fulcrumed in said doorway and a rotatable arm jointedly connected with said lever, of a rod 27 having a pivotal connection with said arm and adapted to have one of its ends detachably connected with one of said carbrackets and a supporting device on the outer end of said rod 27 whereby a mail-sack may be removably suspended, substantially as specified.

2. In a mail-sack catching and delivering mechanism,the combination with a car,brack ets on opposite sides of the car-doorway, a lever fulerumed in said doorway and a rotatable arm jointedly connected with said lever, of a rod 27 having a pivotal connection with said rotatable arm and adapted to have one of its ends detachably connected with either of said brackets, a recessed block pivoted in said rod 27 and a trigger fulcrumed to and depending from said block, said trigger having hook-fingers adapted to temporarily retain a sack-holding ring in said block-recess, substantially as specified.

3. In a mail-sack catching and delivering mechanism, the combination with a car having a sack supporting and receiving arm, of a rotary crane, a frame-arm 13 supported therefrom, a U frame having a retarded swinging support from said arm and chainsections depending from the arm 13 and connected with the lower arm of the U-frame, substantially as specified.

4. In a mail-sack catching and delivering;

mechanism, the combination with a car having a sack catching and supporting device, of a crane-socket standard, a crane rotatably supported therein and brake-blocks adapted to retard the rotary movement of said crane, substantially as specified.

5. In a mail-sack catching and delivering mechanism, the combination with a car having a sack catching and supporting device, of a crane-socket standard, a crane rotatably supported therein, a collar 6 united with the crane-arm, said collar having clamp extensions, brake-blocks between said extensions and said socket-standard and set-screws extending through screw-holes in said clamp extensions and contacting with said brakeblocks, substantially as specified.

MONTROVILL D. CUMMINGS.

In presence of- A. L. PHELPS, II. B. BRADsI-IAW. 

